Many of us dream of leaving the nine to five behind, but Sophie Radcliffe took that desire and ran with it. And walked, and cycled and climbed with it. Since quitting her desk job six years ago, she has racked up challenges the way the rest of us accumulate Post-it notes, from climbing the highest eight peaks in the Alps to racing 1,600 miles across the USA and pedalling from London to Paris in 24 hours not once but nine times. Her motivation? To empower herself through adventure and break down barriers for women, a conviction that can be explored on her blog, challengesophie.com, and through her TrailBlazers programme, with workshops to boost self-esteem among teenage girls.

Isle of Skye, Scotland

For this Traveller’s Tale evening, Radcliffe will talk to Condé Nast Traveller’s Michelle Jana Chan at the Shangri-La at the Shard London hotel, an event sponsored by Malaysia Airlines and Sabah Tourism Board. The country’s national carrier has twice-daily flights to Kuala Lumpur from London and internal connections to Sabah, home to the Shangri-La’s sister hotel, the Rasa Ria Resort in Kota Kinabalu. Borneo holds a special place in Radcliffe’s life – in 2008 she took part in her first challenge in the jungle there, summiting Mount Kinabalu. The mountain can be seen through the windows of the Shangri-La Rasa Ria Resort, which also has its own nature park, a sweep of rainforest and sand where wilderness feats of your own can be devised, following Radcliffe’s advice to ‘have the courage to create your own map’.

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The Shangri-La at the Shard has slightly different views. The hotel rises from the 34th to the 95th floor of the London Bridge landmark, which was designed by architect Renzo Piano and overlooks many of the city's most famous sights. These include Big Ben, Tate Modern, Tower Bridge and Westminster Abbey – meaning guests can plot out their day's adventures from the privacy of their bedroom, or even their bathtub, many of which have lofty views of their own.

Event attendees will be entered into a prize draw to win a pair of return tickets from London to Kota Kota Kinabalu via Kuala Lumpur onboard Malaysia Airline’s A350, complete with extra legroom seats. In conjunction with the flights, Shangri-La’s Rasa Ria Resort & Spa in Sabah, Malaysia, is offering a luxury stay for three nights for two people, full board. The prize also includes a couple’s massage in the Chi Spa, a guided tour of the newly opened 64-acre nature reserve and complimentary access to the Discovery Centre. (Terms and Conditions apply. Subject to availability. Blackout dates apply.)